The Well of Atlas
by Athena645
Summary: After Sirius' death, Harry begins experiencing strange things. Dangerous things. In the wake of such a tradgedy, and under the stress of being the Chosen One, he can't seem to keep his new abilities together. If he can't learn to control them, he could endanger everyone around him. Thankfully, a certain Severus Snape has just the set of skills that he needs. Slash, M/M, Snarry
1. Chapter 1: Order of Merlin

**A/N**

 **Just before I start, I'm uploading this to see if anyone would like it. If you do, I'll be uploading more. If not, well, you know. But I'm very open to suggestions right now. Summer's just started, it's a new world out there, and a new world in here, too. And plenty of time to work. So, what do you say?**

"The court is adjourned." The gavel was dropped, and Harry sat silent. So that was it, then. Sirius's name was cleared. He was relieved, yes, but mostly just tired. This helped ease his pain, but nothing could bring his godfather back. This was just a bandage on a missing limb. It might heal over, but it was still gone. And you could still feel the presence of what should be there. He had been presented with Sirius's brand new Order of Merlin, first class, mainly as an attempt to smooth over what the ministry had done to the animagus in the first place. It was nothing more than a cold lump of metal, really. A symbol of the loss of something that couldn't be forgiven.

Harry felt a hand on his arm. From the look of the small bones and neat fingernails, it was Hermione. He didn't look up, just stood to leave with the small group around him; the Weasleys, (except for Bill and Fleur who were out of the country) Hermione, Remus, and Snape (there for protection). They headed to the floos, and the older Weasleys and Remus separated from the group with hugs and goodbyes to return to the burrow, but Harry was held back by Remus for a moment longer. Neither one said anything, but they stood there embracing one another for a minute or two. Snape stayed back when he saw that not all of his charges had gone through the mantlepiece, but he was silent and tastefully looked away from their display of emotion. He didn't mention it when Harry finally went past, and he followed him through to Dumbledore's office.

The first incident happened a few days later, in potions class. Harry was sitting with Ron, as usual, trying to take notes from the book for an essay they were definitely getting Hermione to do half of. Snape was stalking through the rows of desks, scowl permanently in place, ready to snarl at the first bit of poor handwriting or bad note taking he saw. Unfortunately, that would be Neville.

"Mr Longbottom, have you suddenly come down with a case of palsy?"

The young man looked at him in terror, trying to form an answer in his mind.

"Because that is the only excuse I will take for this meaningless chicken scratch."

He vanished the page he had already written in his untidy, but not terrible, scrawl with a flick of his wand.

"Write it again, so I can read it properly. I will not be straining my eyesight for this ridiculousness."

Neville looked defeated and almost teary, staring at the blank paper he would have to start over again after a full day of work.

Harry and everyone else had seen the entire ordeal, and even a few of the Slytherins looked pityingly at him.

"Why did you have to do that, Snape."

The tall, sneering man turned around abruptly.

"Excuse me, Potter? Do you have a problem with the way I discipline my students? Or perhaps you wish to come with Longbottom to a double detention tonight?"

Harry was not deterred.

"You could have easily told him to rewrite it. You could have corrected him and moved on, but no, you have to erase an entire day's work that wasn't even that poor to begin with. You could also easily reverse the spell and give him back his essay so he can finish, but I doubt you'll do that, either."

Snape kept getting at him throughout the little speech. Then, he said "Fifteen points from Gryffindor for Mr Potter's brash idiocy. And detention for-"

But before he could finish, something strange happened. A dark cloud seemed to grow rapidly around Harry, and the candles went out. He looked strangely glassy-eyed, until suddenly, the cloud compressed, then exploded outward into a shockwave. Thankfully, Snape managed to put up the strangest shielding charm he could on himself and the nearest students, but the blast knocked them all off of their feet.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Snape opened his eyes blearily. The students he had protected were all out cold, as were all the others in the room, but he saw Harry crunched over in the middle of the room, retching painfully. He managed to get up and send a spell to check on the students, who thankfully seemed to all be asleep or unconscious.

He then went to Harry. The boy was a mess. He was shaking fitfully and dry-heaving, and when Snape reached out a tentative hand to his shoulder, he was cold.

"Potter?"

His heaving was lessening, and he was lucid, he nodded to show that he was alright, but his eyes were clenched shut. "Potter, I need to go get help. Will you be alright if I do that?"

The young man nodded.

Snape shakily rose and sent a patronus to madam Pomfrey, then to Dumbledore. After almost fifteen minutes, there was an answer in a returned patronus. "Whole dungeons and four floors above are out. Anything too serious?"

He sent back a no.

He stared at Harry's bowed head in shock. That amount of power would probably have killed a normal wizard and put most strong ones into a coma. It probably would have knocked Severus on his ass for weeks. The fact that this boy was conscious was astounding. The power was spread out not to kill anyone, though, so at least Harry had managed to rein it in. One thing was certain; what had happened could have ended in disaster.

"...Snape?"

He looked back to Potter, who had stopped being sick, he was sitting shakily holding his knees to his chest. "What's going on..?" He sounded afraid, almost childlike. Snape felt a pang of sadness at the way a young man this age had to live, which he quickly stifled and denied. "We're going to figure that out."

 **Like I said, I'm going to expand and improve as I go, maybe rewriting certain parts, even, if that's the general consensus. And I know you're expecting some Snarry from the description, I don't aim to disappoint here. So who's with me?**


	2. Chapter 2: Greece

**I figured I would post the other part of what I have, since marching (band) season is over and I have much more free time. Who knows. I could continue, I've even started a new story I might post sometime soon. It's a bold new world, my people.**

 **Also, why do people put those disclaimers on stories saying "These characters don't belong to me, everything recognizable belongs to J.K. Rowling,** **etc etc...". It's pretty obvious. This is a fan fiction site. Jesus.**

Everyone had woken up with a widespread spell from Dumbledore groggy and confused, and no one in the vicinity had managed not to succumb to the wave of power. Some of the more powerful witches and wizards in the lower levels, including Snape, McGonagall and two other teachers, and five students, however, had awoken within fifteen minutes. They had concocted some cock-and-bull story about a potions explosion, but nobody really believed it. Naturally, by the end of the day, rumors were flying.

Dumbledore, Snape, Madam Pomfrey were speaking quietly in the hospital wing. Harry was deep asleep, understandably, and Pomfrey was explaining what she had found. "Harry is a very powerful wizard. I'm sure you all know this. But that amount of power would have made any other student or average wizard comatose. Even you, Albus, would surely have to lie down with a wicked migraine for a many days, at the very least. As it is, Harry will probably be in here for a while. You said it was probably triggered by anger?"

They turned to Severus, who flushed. "I was admonishing Mr Longbottom for substandard work. Potter argued with my methods and I was about to assign them both detention. That is when it occurred."

The headmaster and matron exchanged a look.

Severus was about to make a sarcastic remark, but Pomfrey looked back over to the boy's bed. "Mr Potter, you are awake?"

She sounded shocked. It had been a day at most since everything happened.

"Yes..?" He answered.

He was still very groggy. Severus and the others walked to his bedside and madam Pomfrey started casting test spells.

"How do you feel?"

"I... don't know..." he whispered.

"What do you remember, Potter?" Snape asked, quietly but urgently.

"I... you were yelling at Neville... I got a bit pissed off... then... something exploded... I don't know what, but I felt it. And then I was here..."

"Your vitals are all fine, your magical core is... massively expended, but somehow not affected."

The others stared at her.

"Whatever could you mean, Poppy?" Dumbledore asked.

"I mean that there are signs of extreme overuse, but the amount of power is still extremely high. I've never seen anything like it."

The headmaster shook his head incredulously, starting to cast his own spells, some Severus didn't recognize. After he was finished, he stood there for a minute, his face unreadable. Then, he quietly asked Poppy to leave.

"...Are you familiar with the Atlas theory, Severus?"

The potions master looked stunned. "Of course, Albus. What are you saying?"

"Hey."

They looked back over at Harry.

"What's the Atlas theory?"

He looked irritated, but sat back for an explanation.

"Well, Harry, most historians believe that the myth of Atlas is inspired by real events, and that an ancient Greek wizard told the people the story was one of the hidden myths, to keep them from learning of his powers. What apparently really happened was that his wife was a great sorceress who tried to create an endless supply of magic. She anchored the spell to a young man from their village who agreed to the experiment, and it nearly killed him. In the end, they had to wipe his memory and leave before anyone got suspicious. The spell was intended to tie the young man's soul to the very earth, and the endless supply of her power. No one is sure whether or not it worked, but most deny it completely. They either say that it must have worked, because otherwise he would have died, or that it must not have worked, for exactly the same reason."

Harry looked at them both apprehensively.

"So...what exactly are you saying? That it did work?"

"Well, Harry, no one is sure what happened to the young man after the story ends. But we know if he did in fact exist, he would have to be a muggle, and probably would not have access to the magic even if it had worked. Having any magic of his own would probably have destroyed him. Introducing that kind of gateway into an already magical being would be like dropping a match into gasoline. But if one was born with the gateway open..." Dumbledore trailed off.

"So...are you saying this guy could have been one of my muggle ancestors?"

"It's a possibility. But we would have to go to the Ministry archives to find that. Perhaps in doing so we could solve a centuries old mystery as well." Albus sounded almost cheery at the thought, which irritated Severus to no end.

"Yes, well, either way, if Potter cannot learn to control the open well of earth magic, many times more powerful than a nuclear blast if let loose, he could indeed kill the Dark Lord, but everyone else as well." He said angrily.

Strangely, Harry seemed to listen to that and said nothing.

"I know, Severus, and that's an excellent reason to give him some better training, in a more secure setting. But first, I think I should consult my books. And until then, I'm afraid you will have to stay here, Harry. Until we figure this out, it's too dangerous to put you at risk of becoming agitated again. Poppy?"

The healer came out of her office

"Yes Albus?"

"Please instruct any of Harry's visitors that they must avoid making him upset in any way. I'm sure miss Granger will come to that conclusion herself, but I'm not so sure about the others."

Harry looked annoyed, but still said nothing. Snape watched him curiously, wondering why he wasn't arguing as he usually might. Perhaps insisting that he could control himself just fine, thanks, as long as Snape kept away and stopped being a humongous-

"Come, Severus, you and I have much to talk about."

Dumbledore broke him out of his imagining of Harry's thoughts to go back to his own. With Albus, this couldn't possibly be an easy talk...


	3. Chapter 3: Don't Touch Me, I'm Sterile

**This is all very new territory for me, I've never really had this kind of a return on anything I've written, it's very exciting! I hope you know that without you guys, I probably never would have continued this story. You've helped breathe new life into it, and for that I thank you wonderful people.**

"It's an odd thing, really, with Harry."

Snape was sitting in Albus' office, the silver haired wizard browsing his shelves with lazy wand flicks.

"Such a young man, but with so much resting upon him. Most of which he has never even been aware of. Even outside of his extraordinary circumstances, he really wouldn't be quite an ordinary student."

Snape raised a dark eyebrow, not voicing his skepticism, but having Albus catch it.

The infuriating old man gave a little smile, humming as he walked back to the desk and set down a stack of books.

"What do you think, Severus?"

"About Potter? I think he's a silly little boy. Given more than he can handle, yes, but still just a selfish child who-"

"The books, Severus." Dumbledore interrupted wearily. "I'm quite aware of your opinion where Harry is concerned."

"Ah. Yes. The books." a nearly imperceptible pink tinge came to Severus' sallow cheeks.

He flipped through them each, browsing through passages and dwelling at different places. At a few points, he looked at Albus in confusion, who only shook his head and directed him back to the books. When be finished, he set the last one back on the desk and waited for an explanation.

"Well?" Albus asked.

"Many of these are diary entries. Am I to assume they're of some significance? I haven't brushed up on my ancient Greek in a while." Severus answered.

"Not to be rude, Severus, but I really would have expected you to catch on a bit faster." Albus said.

He pointed to the top of one page. Rewritten by a steady hand, the entry began with a note that read: "'Κοριννα' and 'Ευγενιος', translated as Korinna and Eugenios, are the names I have found on damaged headings throughout the entries. They appear to be the names of a husband and wife team of magic researchers living..."

And Snape finally caught on.

"Do you mean what I think you mean with this, Albus?"

The older fellow's eyes sparkled with glee.

"Oh, I think I do."

...

The hospital wing is usually one of the most exciting places in Hogwarts castle. Full of attempted duelists, overly cocky spell casters, and the castaway lovers of third-year love triangles gone wrong, weekend afternoons usually made it a hub of adolescent mistakes.

This weekend, however, was quite different.

Harry later found out it was because madam Pomfrey had rerouted the other patients to another area to keep them from upsetting him, which when he thought about it, was a bit ridiculous, since unless someone directly went after him (which was very unlikely considering the day's events) he really wasn't likely to get as angry as he had with Snape.

Which brought him to another thought.

Why hadn't this happened before?

With this gateway open for his whole life, wouldn't this have happened before?

Unless... It hadn't been open. Something had opened it for him.

Upon this thought, the doors opened and in walked Ron and Hermione. She flung herself onto his neck in a hug, and Ron did the same, albeit in a more masculine manner and with less ferocity.

"How do you feel, mate?" Ron asked with concern.

"I'm alright. A bit tired, but I'll be fine." Harry answered.

Hermione was looking at him very strangely when he said that, but stopped when he met her eyes. "You know more than I do, as usual, huh?" Harry joked. She smiled and rolled her eyes. "I have some theories, yes."

Thinking back to that conversation about the Atlas thing with Snape and Dumbledore earlier, Harry realised that last part about her knowing more might not be true this time. He let out a snort at the thought. Knowing Hermione, that was at the top of her list.

They returned the next few days between classes, either one or the other, or both depending on their classes. Without these visits, Harry thought he might go insane. They worked on various bits of classwork and such, delivering his homework and bringing him butterbeer from the kitchens when Pomfrey had gone out. On one such day, their talk was interrupted by a huge door slamming open. Hermione thought quickly and vanished the offending mugs before a sneering Severus Snape came stalking in.

"Come, Potter." He growled, then turned and walked back out in a melodramatic swirl of black robes.

Harry looked over at the other two. Ron rolled his eyes and Hermione shrugged. "He might know something. He's been up in Dumbledore's office pretty much every time he isn't in class. You should go."

Harry knew she was right, but also wanted to throw his shoe at the bastard. But that was most people's gut reaction when encountering him, so he supposed it wasn't appropriate grounds for refusal.

Instead of chucking them at Snape's head, Harry slipped on his trainers.

Dumbledore's office was a bit of a trek from the hospital wing, and Snape had legs like a spider, but still, no effort was made to slow down for Harry's sake. Not that he expected any. By the time they got there, he was panting and tired, but trying not to show it in front of the present company. Said company saw anyway, and smirked. Neither person said anything whilst riding the staircase up behind the griffin statue, but in the silence, Harry noticed Snape turning a tiny wooden box around in his soon as the door opened, he tossed it onto Dumbledore's desk and slunk away to another area of the wing. Wondering just how large this place was, Harry missed what the headmaster had just said.

"Hmm?"

"I was just inquiring on how you are feeling." Dumbledore repeated kindly.

"Oh. Er, okay I suppose. I've been stuck in the hospital wing for four days, so I don't suppose much would have changed." The last part was a bit bitter.

From behind a shelf, Snape's sneering voice drifted saying "You could have killed over a hundred people, I think the hospital wing is the least of your problems."

Harry winced.

"Severus, my dear boy, I would very much appreciate it if you would shut up for just one moment." The headmaster commanded kindly.

Harry would have laughed very hard at the uncomfortable silence that followed, but the box on the table was finally being opened.

"This is a clarity stone. It is often used in occlumency to diagnose mental illnesses and disorders. Generally, it explores the mind to find the source of a specific issue." Harry was annoyed when he heard 'mental illnesses', but the last part made more sense.

"So you can use this stone to find out why the well was opened?" Harry asked. Dumbledore looked solemn.

"So you've realised that something must have opened it?" He asked. "I was hoping you would... I have a few theories, of course, but I would hate to assume anything incorrectly."

Harry nodded and spoke nervously. "So how exactly... How is this going to work?"

Dumbledore sighed.

"Now comes the difficult part. It requires two people to perform the operation, and I will not, in fact, be the one entering your mind."

Harry felt a creeping dread.

"I'm afraid it will have to be Severus."

 **So what do you think? I really do want to know, you're the only ones seeing this, so you're really my only editors here. But I have things to do, stuff to write, ideas to create! I'll see you soon.**

 **Oh, and just so you know, these updates are probably going to be ridiculously irregular, and for that I'm very sorry, but if you see my first story, that hasn't been updated in... damn. Anyhoo, I love you.**


	4. Chapter 4: Ancient History

**Oh my, look who's back. Me. It's me.**

 **If you don't want to read my long note, you may skip down to the non-bold text as you wish.**

 **I procrastinate a lot. Like, a ridiculous amount. I borrowed a book from one of my teachers six years ago I still haven't returned.**

 **But I am doing my best not to abandon this story. It could take months for chapters. But I am doing my best, I promise.**

 **I know you may not believe that, and maybe I don't either sometimes, but I need to see this through to the end. I quit in the middle so much, with my writing and with so much more, it's time I finish something out the right way.**

 **I'll see you in the next installment, my dudes, ladies, and cool cats.**

"What."

"Severus will have to-"

"No, I heard what you said," Harry said sarcastically. "I was just wondering if you did."

Again, Dumbledore sighed, stroking his beard.

"No, it is not ideal. In fact, Severus had quite a similar reaction a few hours ago. I believe he accused me of insanity a few times. But I really must explain to you what makes it necessary before you refuse."

Harry stared at him incredulously for a while before finally sighing and dropping his face into his hand before motioning to continue with the other.

"In this sort of situation, when the subject experiences the sort of imbalance that can harm them or others, it is very difficult to resolve without first resolving the events that led up to it. This is quite a different thing, but the theory still applies."

Dumbledore offered him a tin of biscuits, which he declined.

"The well opening may very well be similar to a breaking of some sort in one's mind. Except that rather than the mental sort, it is a magical kind."

Harry lifted his head and nodded, brow furrowed. "So... some kind of magical stress caused the well to break open?" He asked, brushing the dark hair away from his face.

"Yes, that is exactly right. The problem is that, like with a mental stressor, it cannot be brought under your control until the event is resolved, in whatever way that might be." Dumbledore finished, folding his hands on the desk.

"Wait... why does Snape have to do it then? That doesn't explain it." Harry asked, once again frustrated.

"Professor Snape," the headmaster corrected him patiently, "is both a very skilled occlumens and... accustomed to fending off certain types of attack. More than myself at any rate. Those which could seriously damage myself, and as a consequence, many others."

There was another uncomfortable silence between the two seated at Dumbledore's desk and Snape, who was watching from the corner again with his arms crossed, while Harry processed all of that. What could Snape possibly do that Dumbledore... Oh.

"You mean Voldemort." He stated tiredly, not bothering to look either man in the eye.

He didn't need an answer.

"Fine. Just... give me a minute, okay?" He sighed wearily. He got up and rushed out of the office to the hallway.

This again. Having Snape rifle through his memories like a toy chest, to see and feel his most embarrassing and personal moments. It was awful the first time, he could just imagine how it would be now. After Sirius. There were some things he didn't think he could relive.

Harry leaned against the wall, rubbing at his forehead to get rid of the sick feeling that thought gave him.

Mental magic was some of the most harrowing stuff he had ever felt, and he had no desire to go through any of it again, but...

He had to, unless he wanted more people to die.

That was something he definitely couldn't bear.

He went back in, his hands shaking fiercely, but disguised by being hidden in his pockets. His green eyes were tired, but determined.

Snape was sitting in an armchair that had been turned to face another, which Harry assumed he was supposed to sit in. The man looked calm and collected, his legs crossed under his dark cloak like he'd been there a while. Still, he was clenching his ffgists until the knuckles were white. Before Harry got there, Dumbledore gently put a hand on his shoulder.

"Harry, I just want you to know... this is a very... personal sort of magic. Intimate, almost. Severus will feel the same emotions you are feeling, albeit through the crystal's filter. I do not think he will hold any of what he finds against you." He said quietly. Harry clenched his hands, nodding to the ground. He moved to go forward, but the old man still held him back. The boy looked up, and saw a grave expression on Dumbledore's face.

"And Harry, I must ask the same of you." He said seriously. "I don't have to tell you how serious mental magic is, but I want you to remember that you are not the only one in a compromising situation." Startled, Harry agreed, not sure what exactly he was referring to, but knowing from his deadly tone that it was serious.

The old wizard smiled sadly, and gently squeezed Harry's shoulder in encouragement.

He sat down in front of Snape, not looking him in the eye.

"Now, if you think you cannot bear through the experience, you must only speak my name, and I will hear you through the crystal. Then I can break off the session. However I must warn you; doing that more than a few times will end up with some possibly undesirable results."

Harry felt like he didn't want to know, but asked anyway.

"What consequences do you mean?"

"It's best we don't go into that I think." Snape growled, his sharp black eyes refusing to point in Harry's direction.

He wanted to argue, but the prospect of what was going to happen drove it out of his mind. He would just have to bear through it. He could do this.

"Fine, just... Let's get this over with." Harry said defeatedly.

He was surprised that Snape hadn't said anything deliberately obnoxious since he'd come back into the room. The man seemed withdrawn. Nervous, almost.

"I need your hands, Potter." He said quietly.

Harry slowly removed them from his pockets, still shaking. He clenched them into fists and tried to make it stop, but Snape saw anyway. He didn't insult him for it, just patiently waited for him to get it under control. That calmed Harry down a considerable amount, and he started to bring his hands down to where Snape's lay open expectantly. He hesitated, and Snape snorted in exasperation, grabbing them himself. Harry jumped, but the man's grip wasn't harsh or cold, just secure enough to hold him in one place.

"It has to begin with the patient (who in this case is Harry) entering the administrator's mind (who would be Severus)." Dumbledore explained.

"Soon after the connection is gained, I will place the crystal between you, and Severus will lead onward."

Harry nodded. "Okay." He said quietly. He could do this. With Snape letting him in instead of forcing himself into Harry's memories.

"Are you ready?" Dumbledore asked gently.

"...yeah. Yes, I'm ready." He answered, more firmly now.

"Alright then, Harry, you may proceed. I will let you know when I introduce the crystal."

Harry met Snape's dark brown eyes. He would have expected them to be as black as his hair. They were guarded and disconnected, and Harry could tell he didn't want to be there any more than he did. Reluctantly, Harry began the spell in his mind.

'Legilimens... legilimens... le-'

This time, the going was easy, but the sense of some uncomfortable intrusion still remained as the world around him faded and the world of Snape's mind appeared.

The first thing Harry came across was guilt. It was like a cloud of smoke, choking every thought and memory.

The next was one of his most recent memories. It was in this very room, only a few hours before Harry had first entered.

 _"You and I both know what must be done. You must enter Harry's mind using that clarity stone of yours. I know you still have it, don't play the fool." Dumbledore said, sounding irritated. He was leaning over his huge wooden desk, as if holding himself up from weariness as if he'd been arguing he same point for hours, which, where Snape was concerned (Harry mused), could easily be true._

 _Snape was pacing back and forth in front of it, black robes swirling and one hand pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He stopped and started spitting out an attack._

 _"You're insane. Absolutely mad. You've said many things in the past, Albus, but this..."_

 _The headmaster shook his head. "Harry is in danger, and is also putting everyone around him in danger at no fault of his own. This is the only way to get the well under control without destroying the boy in the process!"_

 _Snape stared at him incredulously before continuing. "You want me to use that ridiculous rock on him, knowing full well what the side effects could be?"_

 _He laughed harshly. "Oh, no I see, is that the very reason? You think me devoted enough to your cause that I'm willing to forge a mental link with some infantile-"_

 _"SEVERUS SNAPE," Dumbledore roared. The other man paled considerably._

 _"You will listen to me, now. You are the only one I have on my side with such a link to Voldemort. You are the most qualified person I know to carry this out. You are one of the very few people I can still trust completely. And I trust you, above any other, not to use that boy's pain against him."_

 _Near the end of his speech, his voice fell to a gentle timbre. Snape was standing stiffly, not speaking._

 _"Severus, the Order needs you. The students need you. Harry needs you." Albus whispered, and placed a hand gently on his former student's arm._

 _The dark haired man still said nothing. He walked stiffly to the door, and stood there for a moment._

 _"Just promise me one thing, Albus..."_

 _The headmaster said nothing, but waited for him to continue._

 _"Don't meddle in it. Let whatever happens happen. Don't try to make the outcome what you want it to be." Snape said, sounding tired._

 _Albus was very quiet, but then said "Of course, Severus."_

Harry was soon swept out of that memory and on to another. One older, but still recent. He felt his hands distantly clench, and Snape's react in surprise, which helped him keep a hold on the connection. He could do this. He could.

The next memory appeared like a movie scene, fading into Harry's line of sight.

Approaching it, flashes of other memories came through.

 _An older, scowly woman giving a small dark haired toddler a pat on the cheek and pulling a blanket over him._

 _A teenage boy with greasy black hair clenching his fists in silent anger as another young man hit him in the back of the head with something wet that squelched. The other boy laughing and running away with his friend._

 _A short young man with rich hazel eyes grinning and slipping his hand into his pale, skinny companion's as they watched a bonfire. A thrill going through the latter._

Harry felt an unpleasant shudder go through the hand he had.

 _A man with dark eyes and an angry grimace glaring at a young boy and red haired girl hugging at King's Cross Station, tapping his foot impatiently until he could grab the boy's arm and pull him away to go._

Suddenly, the memory that Harry had initially approached came into view, with identical waves of dread going through himself and Snape.

 _The first thing Harry could see was Snape's office. In it, an uncomfortable looking Snape stood idly nursing a drink. He sighed, pacing back and forth a few times while he finished it off. He whirled around to the door when it was opened by a weary looking Remus Lupin. Snape's face turned sour, but he still asked him quietly "What happened."_

 _Before saying anything, Lupin entered and heavily took a seat and dropped his graying head into his hands._

 _There was a sharp stab of pain at the answer._

 _"Sirius is dead."_

 _Snape's turned away, concealing his face._

 _"...it wasn't a true vision." The potions master said, not really asking._

 _"It was a trap." Lupin answered. His voice was quiet and weak._

 _The mousy haired man looked haunted and empty, barely strong enough to lift up his head._

 _"They got the prophecy." Snape said._

 _"No."_

 _A flood of relief followed._

 _"Thank Merlin."_

 _Remus stared at his back._

 _"I tried to stop him, you know. He just went anyway. He was convinced he could help, and that he had to help Harry." The man said blandly._

 _Snape said nothing._

 _"...He always said he felt so useless in that house. I... I tried to give him any task I could to do from there, but... It didn't really help."_

 _Remus clenched his shaking hands into fists._

 _"Now I've told you, so why the fuck would you care. You hated him. Even if you didn't mean to get him killed, you're sure happy about what you've done now."_

 _The werewolf stood and kicked away the chair he had been sitting on so it slammed into the wall and broke._

 _"It's a good deal for you, you know. Being rid of Sirius and landing a blow on Harry and I in the same breath. Must be like Christmas." He snarled on his way out the door._

The memories were replaced by a wave of raw emotion.

 _Self-loathing._

 _Hatred._

 _Regret._

 _Anger_

 _Shame._

 _Sorrow_.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Ha! You all thought I was gone, didn't you? Well, you thought wrong! Although honestly that's a perfectly reasonable thing to think, seeing how many of the stories here have just become deserted islands of unfinished plotlines and unresolved tension, but no! Not this one!**

Then Harry was reeling back into the present.

A huge wave of emotion had almost flung him out of Snape's mind, and the man was standing now, on the other side of the room by a bookshelf. His head was down and he was facing away, black hair forming a curtain around his face and his fists shaking by his sides.

As Dumbledore silently stood a few feet away, Harry heard the potions master taking deep, gulping breaths.

Harry himself was surprised to find that he was shaking from the pure depth of emotion he had been struck by, and tear tracks ran down both cheeks. He wiped them away quickly in case Snape turned around, but he needn't have worried.

"...Severus..." Dumbledore started gently.

"I'm fine. Leave it alone." He spat out, his voice almost breaking on the last note.

"Just... a minute." Snape said stiffly. He painstakingly unclenched both hands and seemed to shake something off. He stood straight again, and his face was once more blank and mildly unsettled. He silently returned to the armchair from before and sat down.

"If you're ready, we can-"

"I'm ready." Snape interrupted the headmaster sharply. He seemed to regret it and then said "Mr. Potter just stumbled upon... something very taxing. We may proceed now."

Dumbledore nodded. "Alright then, Severus. Then if you're ready, Harry."

Harry nodded, still a bit uneasy.

So Snape had regretted it. He had hurt for his mistake. And more than anyone would have expected. The pain of it was like a spear in his chest. And not just for that; agonizing thoughts had followed Harry out, getting clearer throughout each memory.

 _Albus was right that day you came to him, begging for you to protect Lily. You're a Death Eater. You're nothing but a cowardly pawn in a madman's power play._

 _Your mother did her best for you, but what have you done with it, Severus?_

 _Daniel laughed when you said you wanted to be with him. He only wanted one thing, but then you acted like a clingy child._

 _Your father should have just drowned you in the bathtub like he used to threaten. Maybe then you wouldn't have hurt Lily like you did so many times._

 _You're a murderer._

Harry shivered at the memory that was now his. All that pain...

"Are you quite finished reminiscing, Potter?" Snape asked in a bored tone.

Harry looked at him, startled. The familiar mask of disgust was back in place.

"Is it alright to begin? It is now Severus' turn to enter your memories." Dumbledore said sympathetically. Harry nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I... we can go ahead."

Once more, the two participants put their hands together, this time with Harry's beneath, and Severus prepared to enter his mind.

"I will warn you before introducing the crystal, so be prepared for it to be a bit jarring."

They both agreed, and locked eyes again. Those dark eyes met the deep green ones, and Harry took a deep, shaky breath before slowly taking down the guards around his mind. Then, things faded back into memory.

Harry and Snape slowly traveled together through various scenes.

 _Harry was sitting on a stool in front of everyone in the Great Hall, the Sorting Hat talking to him about doing well in Slytherin, before it eventually decided on Gryffindor._

Harry felt surprise coming through from Snape's mind. There was now a two way connection.

 _Harry was staring down the smug face of the Sphinx in the Triwizard Tournament maze, his heart jumping in his chest as he quickly prepared to deal with it's riddle._

The distant voice of Albus Dumbledore warned that he was introducing the crystal, and the memory of Harry's classroom outburst flashed briefly before a torrent of more painful ones started to beat down.

 _Harry, Ron and Hermione were following Harry, who was under the invisibility cloak running as his head reeled, a mix of grief and rage coming in hot waves as he processed the information on Sirius' supposed betrayal._

 _Later in the year, they were leaving the Shrieking Shack as hope filled Harry's heart, Sirius was promising to take care of him. He would finally have a real home._

 _Harry was staring down at the lifeless body of Cedric Diggory, numbly registering his father clutching onto him, sobbing his name._

Harry begged for the memories to stop, but they went on and on, getting faster faster.

 _He saw his parents in the mirror of Erised and reached out to them, as if he could touch them if he only pressed hard enough._

 _Uncle Vernon, yelling about his nephew letting his foul kind hurt poor Dudley, grabbed forcefully onto his forearms, and Harry gritted his teeth to ignore the pain of nails digging into his skin._

 _A flash of green, a woman's scream, a high pitched laugh._

 _And Sirius was falling through the veil as Harry's heart was torn apart._

Harry felt his physical hands shaking and cold, and took gasping breaths.

In this particular memory, there was something odd. An open, shining cavern seemed to be open inside of Harry, a glowing wound of magic, endless and pulsing, ready to spill out of him at any time. This was what they had come for.

 **'Potter, we need to cap over that well somehow. Picture a stone big enough to cover it, try to set it on top.'**

With great difficulty, Harry managed to obey, and he felt Snape's presence right beside him. Focusing as hard as he could, Harry was suddenly struck with the image of a spherical boulder, its surface was a dark grey, and smooth enough to reflect the light of the well. Together, with a flood of symbols and signs flowing into Harry's mind, they carved countless glowing characters onto the massive rock, each one seeming to calm down the aggressive pulsing below it.

 **'This one will be the hardest, Potter, you need to focus as hard as you can.'**

There seemed to be a mighty roaring in Harry's head, like the flowing of a powerful river, and his whole body began shaking.

 **'I...'** Harry thought faintly **'I dont know if I can...'**

The presence of Snape seemed to snap him out of it, and forcefully brought the symbol to his mind.

 **'Potter, if you don't, you'll bring this whole castle down on top of us.'**

That woke him up. He bit his lip so hard he tasted blood, and forced that symbol to become his whole world. Painfully, slowly, he carved it on, and the roaring only grew louder and louder in his ears, the painful shaking growing worse and worse as he finally, forcefully finished.

Suddenly, it all stopped.

Harry's eyes snapped open.

He was still in the armchair he had started out in.

Snape's hands were still grasping his, and Harry didn't think he could let go of them unless he pulled his own fingers off of them. He blinked, and saw Snape's mouth moving as if he was speaking, and his dark eyes piercing into Harry's own, but the room around them was swimming, and both Snape and Dumbledore looked very concerned. Harry managed to dazedly remove one hand from Snape's, and brought it up to touch his own lip which still tasted like blood. It felt warm and wet, and Harry's body once more began shaking. Harry looked up at those worried faces, and they started fading out of focus.

"...Snape?" He asked, sounding mildly surprised before he blacked out.

 **A/N: Thank you to all the people out there who have followed, reviewed, or favorites this story, I was going to give individual shout outs, but damn, you guys have multiplied a LOT, and for that I'm very grateful.**


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